My Disciples Became Scoundrels - Chapter 69

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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―Crack!
Each time the enormous jaws snapped shut, blue ichor erupted outward. The stench of it stung his nostrils.
The jellyfish screamed. Torn, crushed, scattered. Those that survived bared their teeth instead of fleeing.
―Shriiiiek!
The swarm of jellyfish hurled themselves at the desert maw. Tentacles whipped through the air, teeth clashed against teeth. Ichor and blood mingled, streaming across the sand below.
Dein stood atop the cactus, watching from above.
The desert had begun to turn blue. Blue flowers and blue blood drifted on the wind, and the jellyfish corpses formed a landscape of slaughter.
The jellyfish vanished as suddenly as they had come. Yet the desert maw did not fall.
Its entire body was covered in crimson pustules, yet still it dragged its colossal form across the ground.
It planted itself before Dein. Its jaws yawned wide. Heat and stench poured forth in a single suffocating wave.
But Dein did not retreat. There was no need to.
―G-gaaaah……!
The open maw began to close, slowly. The pustules spread up its neck. The massive body tilted sideways.
A dull thud echoed across the sand, dust billowing upward. Dein remained where he stood, watching it collapse.
Dein split open the desert maw’s belly. Jellyfish corpses spilled out in a torrent.
He drew out the Subspace Cube, and the Monster Cores began to be drawn inside. After collecting them for some time, his disciples approached.
“Master, how many did you gather?”
“Around three hundred, I’d say.”
“The Tearing Lions were only about two hundred of them.”
It was a number that could have earned him first place, yet Dein did not smile. Instead, he turned slowly, gazing toward the distance.
Someone was approaching from far away. Gray hair caught in the wind.
It was Greta.
As she walked, Dein’s eyes grew sharper. A calm yet oppressive Qi radiated from her form.
The guild members following Greta seemed almost invisible in her presence. She stopped at a distance.
“Balanus Domus. I propose a negotiation.”
Greta spoke without even offering her name. As though such formalities were unnecessary. Dein grasped his sword and fixed his gaze upon her.
“What are the terms?”
“If you surrender all the Monster Cores, I will give you one hundred million Batz.”
It was far more than the first-place reward. The desert fell silent. Without moving, Dein opened his mouth.
“My disciples were injured.”
He did not say by whom. Both Greta and Dein already knew.
“That’s not something money can solve.”
“Then negotiations are at an end.”
A stronger Qi began to flow from Greta. Dein gripped the hilt of his sword. Arkel and Bella instantly took combat stances.
She was at least a Fourth Rank individual. Perhaps even higher still.
Yet they could not yield. Not a single member of Balanus. Even as Bella broke into a cold sweat, she spoke with composure.
“How aggressive. Would you commit a crime just to take first place?”
……
“If word spreads of your attack on us, it becomes rather inconvenient for you. You know this.”
Greta did not answer. She extended her hand, and a guild member at her side handed her a bag.
“I have no intention of committing a crime, strictly speaking.”
What emerged from the bag was a young lizard monster, bound tightly with rope, thrashing about.
Greta drew a Short Sword. Her voice came low and measured.
“Evil and good are merely tools, nothing more.”
―Thrust!
The blade pierced the young monster through. She stabbed repeatedly, and with each blow, screams and blood sprayed across the sand.
Greta threw the mangled corpse into the desert. As blood dripped into the sand, soaking it—
―Boom-boom-boom……!
The earth trembled. Something vast was approaching from a great distance, advancing with terrifying speed. Sand dust rose into the air.
“I will not attack you. There is no need.”
She tore a Scroll, and she and her party vanished in an instant. Moments later, a massive shadow emerged through the dust.
―Roooaaarrr!
A desert dragon, its entire body covered in stone scales. It bore no wings. Yet the speed at which it charged forward, tearing at the earth, was overwhelming.
As it closed the distance, the desert air grew scorching, electric. The dragon’s countless eyes were bloodshot.
They were the eyes of a mother who had lost her young.
Bella let out a soft click and shouldered her Long Rifle.
“Using the offspring as bait and then running. How troublesome.”
“I am, in fact, grateful.”
Dein drew his sword. The blade caught the light of two suns, burning hot.
“Better than the Guild Master of the Tearing Lions.”
He strode forward. The dragon drew ever closer. The moment he faced his opponent, the Desert Dragon roared.
―Grrrrooooaaaargh!
A sound that seemed to tear the ears shattered the air from all sides. The rough vibration began to reshape the desert itself.
Like an ocean.
―Kraaaaahhh!
Enormous waves composed entirely of sand began to surge forward, accompanied not by foam but by a thick haze of dust.
There was no escape. No man could outrun a tidal wave. There was nowhere to hide.
Dein did not flee. He did not hide. He simply raised his blade.
He drew upon every ounce of his power. His veins burned hot. His heartbeat thundered through his entire body, racing like something possessed.
A blue aura rippled around his sword, then gradually darkened until it turned black. The air around him shimmered with dark energy.
Black Mana. A power he had gained in the mine when he went to aid Master Zick.
The wave reached his eyes. Heat and the smell of sand pierced his nostrils. Dein did not close his eyes.
The power left behind by the God of the Earth was black. All things that composed the earth had to bow to it.
Sand was no exception.
―Kraaang!
The moment Dein infused his power and swung his blade, a shockwave spawned another wave.
The violent surge he had created collided with the Desert Dragon’s wave. Upon impact, the disaster scattered into spray.
Sand exploded in all directions, dust rising in clouds. The wave vanished, but the Desert Dragon still lurked beyond.
Dein staggered. His power and stamina were both depleted. He collapsed into the haze of sand.
Then a figure behind him emerged from the dust. Beyond the murky smoke stood Bella. The barrel of the Long Rifle glinted, as did her crimson eyes.
―Crack-crack!
Bullets pierced through the sand dust and struck the Desert Dragon directly. The first bullet punctured its eye. The second did the same.
The third bullet struck the scales below its throat. In that instant, the scales shattered to fragments and the creature shrieked in agony.
Even with its vital point struck, the Desert Dragon thrashed about wildly. Bella ran in the opposite direction from Dein, drawing the creature’s attention.
“End this before I die.”
Just as the Desert Dragon was about to bring down its foreleg and unleash its breath, Arkel charged at it.
Around him, brilliant crimson ice shards formed. The blood the Desert Dragon shed was already soaking into the sand.
-Crack!
Arkel fashioned a platform of ice beneath his feet. He leaped upon it and rushed toward the Desert Dragon.
He shoved his arm through the gap where the scales had shattered. The desert was the perfect place for blood to boil.
―Shrieeeeek!
The Desert Dragon’s blood temperature spiked instantly. Its flesh began to cook rapidly from within.
Writhing in the agony of cooking from the inside, the Desert Dragon convulsed violently. Even as its entire body thrashed, Arkel held fast.
He was burning. Even as his own arm was roasted by the residual heat, he would not let go until everything was consumed.
―Thud!
The Desert Dragon fell. The impact sent a gust of sand through the air.
Sand dusted lightly onto Dein where he lay collapsed. He struggled to rise on his knees but they buckled.
Bella approached silently and draped his arm over her shoulder. Dein laughed weakly.
“You’ve seen me at my most pathetic.”
“That’s a sight you’ll see often as you age.”
Bella added quietly.
“I thought I’d never see it happen. But here we are.”
“I’ll show you plenty more times in the future.”
While Bella chuckled softly, Arkel returned, gripping the Monster Core in one hand. His other arm hung limp at his side.
“The Boss is dead, so everyone will begin their retreat now.”
“Good. Your arm—is it all right?”
“It will hold.”
“No, it won’t. Let’s head back at once.”
When the three returned to Base Camp, the staff were already preparing to depart, moving with particular haste due to the large number of injured.
Employees were busily recording the number of Monster Cores on a blackboard. Dein staggered away from Bella’s support.
“I’m going to check on Jenia for a moment. The report is in your hands.”
During the brief time Dein was away, Balanus’s name was added to the blackboard.
「1st Place. Tearing Lions. 390 Monsters
2nd Place. Balanus. 382 Monsters.
3rd Place. Nidus Hirundinis Crepuscularis. 320 Monsters」
Upon seeing the results, Bella clicked her tongue. Her expression was thoroughly dissatisfied.
“Only eight monsters behind. If only we could report the Tearing Lions for misconduct…….”
“There’s no evidence.”
“I know.”
At that moment, Greta emerged from inside the tent. She looked slightly startled to see Arkel and Bella, but that was all.
The staff members were counting the cores among themselves.
“It seems the report is finished now. Could we wrap this up? We should probably call it done…….”
“There has been misconduct.”
At those words, both the staff and the other participants turned their heads. Dein was there. Cesare and Jenia were with him as well.
The staff member looked at Dein with confusion.
“What do you mean by that?”
“The Tearing Lions released Phantom Jellyfish. The red rashes were caused by the jellyfish poison as well.”
Dein pointed to Jenia. The red rashes had not fully subsided yet. Cesare grew irritated.
“We thought we were done for because of that. The others got hit by it too, didn’t they? Does scorched terrain usually cause this kind of thing?”
At Cesare’s words, people began to murmur. The staff members exchanged glances, then spoke.
“Do you have evidence that the Tearing Lions did this?”
“Yes. I do.”
Dein turned around. Gaspar was dragging someone in tatters toward them.
A member of the Tearing Lions guild. Gaspar threw the guild member to the ground, then produced a glass container.
“We found him carrying Phantom Jellyfish Eggs. This is the evidence.”
The container was filled with translucent eggs. At this physical evidence, the crowd began to buzz. Bella smiled silently.
“So the swallows were useful after all.”
The staff members’ expressions hardened. One of them approached Greta.
“Guild Master Greta, we’ll need to conduct an interrogation.”
At those words, the Tearing Lions guild members showed hostility. Their voices grew louder as they prepared to protest.
“This is a false accusation……!”
At that moment, the guild members fell silent. Because of Greta.
She was simply looking at them. But that was enough. Once the guild members quieted, Greta spoke.
“There’s no need for interrogation. We did it.”
Others stared in bewilderment. The Tearing Lions looked melancholy. Except for Greta.
“I have no reason to stay here, so I’ll leave. I’ll make a separate appearance at the Management Bureau.”
Greta left those words behind and rose from her seat. Her face showed neither hatred nor animosity toward Dein.
As some staff members followed Greta, new entries were written on the blackboard.
「1st Place. Balanus, 382 monsters.
2nd Place. Nidus Hirundinis Crepuscularis. 320 monsters.」
“For 1st Place, Balanus Domus will receive a Special Promotion to Silver Rank and prize money. For 2nd place, Nidus Hirundinis…….”
What 2nd place received was merely a modest sum of prize money. Without even hearing the full announcement, Gaspar rose and left.
Dein spoke to his retreating back.
“Thank you for your help.”
“……Irritating bastard.”
After Gaspar departed, Bella examined Jenia’s body in various places. Her brows were deeply furrowed.
“You still have rashes. Why did you just take the hit like that? You should have let Arkel handle it.”
“He’s my brother.”
Brother. At that word, Bella’s lips parted before she swallowed her words.
As Bella continued to rinse Jenia’s wound with water, someone approached her side. It was Arkel.
“I won the wager.”
Bella looked up at him. Arkel’s silvery-grey eyes were quiet, and at the same time, resolute.
“It’s your turn to keep the promise, Bella.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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